Driving under the influence of alcohol can ruin or take your life and the lives of those around you. If you are killed, your family would be devastated emotionally, but they may also be devastated financially. If you are the breadwinner in your family, the survivors will have to learn how to survive without your support. If you take another life with your DUI, your family could be sued for tremendous amounts of money.
DUI Repercussions
If you do drink and drive and are lucky enough not to kill yourself or anyone else, a DUI will still be devastating. To start, you will lose your license and your driving privileges will be revoked. You are also likely to incur some pretty hefty fines, possibly up to $10,800 or more, and you may even serve time in jail. None of this sounds like a good time, but the truth is that this is just the start. Once you finish serving your time and your suspension is finally over, you are going to find that the cost of the DUI is still ongoing.
SR-22 Insurance
When it comes time to get your driver’s license back, you are going to have to endure some pricey hoops. You’ll incur costs to get your license back. You’ll also have to try to find car insurance that will accept you. You will, no doubt, have been dropped by your previous insurance company. You will be considered a very high risk driver and your premiums are going to reflect that. You’ll likely have to get SR-22 insurance from a state approved insurance agency. This can often cost you more than double the amount that you are used to paying for car insurance. You will have to carry the SR-22 insurance for a preset amount of time, depending on your state. Even after you have finished that time limit, your rates are unlikely to go down.
How Long will a DUI Stay on Your Record?
Depending on the state in which you live, a DUI can stay on your record anywhere from 3 years to life. You can rest assured that you will not see any favorable change in your insurance rates as long as the DUI is still on your record. Other blemishes on your record can make matters even worse. If you get a ticket or have an accident your rates will jump even higher. This is often the case even if the ticket or accident is on your record from prior to the DUI.
Getting Back Behind the Wheel
Getting back on the road after a DUI will take time and it will cost a large amount of money. The fees and fines alone can add up to no small amount even before you’re able to consider the possibility of getting your license back. Once you get yourself together, you can slowly work your way back to some semblance of where you started. It will be hard work and it will be expensive. If you were to repeat the past and get another DUI, things could get far worse.